Our prediction for this Europa League match:
There will be fireworks when Monaco and Crvena Zvezda face each other in a highly-anticipated Europa League game. Monaco have been performing below expectations in Group H, but a win over the Serbian champions will see them book their spot in the knockout stages. Les Rouges et Blancs are high on spirits following a 2-0 win over Angers in the Ligue 1, and the good news for the hosts is that midfielder Mohamed Camara is back from suspension.
Milos Milojevic’s men, on the other hand, face a must-win situation in the decider, and seeing that they will adopt an attack-minded approach in Thursday’s showdown, we predict that Monaco will seal the triumph on the break. Aleksandar Dragovic’s suspension is yet another reason why we are going to put our money on the Ligue 1 side. Influential winger Aleksandar Katai is widely expected to return to the starting XI after coming as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Kolubara.
Highlighted Player (Thomas Didillon):
Thomas Didillon joined Metz football academy at the age of 11 and he spent no less than six years at the club. The 193-cm-tall goalkeeper made his debut for the Metz first team on May 16, 2014 in a goalless draw with Stade Lavallois and he made 27 appearances for the club in the 2015/2016 Ligue 2 campaign.
Didillon managed to keep 13 clean sheets for the club during the season and, no doubt, he helped Metz secure promotion to the French top flight. The French shoot-stopper played 32 games for les Grenats in the 2016/2017 Ligue 1 campaign and he kept nine clean sheets, while conceding 64 goals in the process.
During the 2014/2015 season Thomas Didillon played for Belgium side RFC Seraing on loan and, speaking of his international career, the goalkeeper represented France U16, U18, U19, U20 and U21 teams in the past. Didillon was born in Seclin (France) on November 28, 1995 and his preferred foot is left.
Highlighted Team (Crvena Zvezda):
Crvena Zvezda are the most famous club in Balkans. The Crveno-beli have 19 Yugoslav First League titles and have won eight domestic trophies since the breakup of Yugoslavia. Crvena Zvezda won their last league title in the 2015/2016 season, with the team finishing the campaign no less than 28 points clear of Partizan.
Speaking of Partizan, the Crno-beli are considered Crvena Zvezda’s bitterest rivals and the two teams meet in the “Eternal derby” (Veciti derbi). The capital club did well to win the European Cup title in 1991, with the team beating Olympique Marseile on penalties in the title game. That is considered the club’s biggest success, but it has to be noted that the Serbian club won the International Cup later in 1991. Crvena Zvezda outclassed Colo Colo of Chile (3-0) at National Stadium in Tokyo.
The likes of Dejan Savicevic, Vladimir Jugovic, Dragan Stojkovic, Dragoslav Sekularac, Rajko Mitic, Dusan Savic, Nemanja Vidic and Dejan Stankovic are some of the famous footballers who played for Crvena Zvezda in the past.